Ajani, Mentor of Heroes vs Saber
Holy warriors are quite common now eh? You know, those guys clad in steel armour, use blades and can conjure holy magic all while fighting for peace and honour? And these two certainly aren't anymore different! Well aside from the fact that one is from a card game and the other is from Anime. It's the Leonin Planeswalker, Ajani Goldmane vs Shirou Emiya's trusty and reliable Servant, Saber! The Interlude On the Plane of Theros As he was a guest of King Brimaz as well as a Leonin like the King, Ajani Goldmane was expected to attend today's festivities. A tribe-wide celebration that celebrated the first time a Human made a peaceful proposal to the Leonin. The Human ambassador from the City of Meletis was, of course, invited though he insisted he bring the city's champion; Daxos. Brimaz didn't mind and so amidst the many Leonin dancing, eating and celebrating were a small group of Meletis Humans consisting of the ambassador, Daxos and a couple of soldiers. Where was Ajani? The White-Aligned Planeswalker was currently holding off a Hydra that had rudely attacked a Leonin night patrol outside the safety of Brimaz's encampment. Though he had done severe damage to the Green-Aligned monster, it constantly kept regenerating and growing more heads despite none of them ever being decapitated in the first place and his fellow Leonin's spears and nets were exactly pleasing the Hydra either. "This Hydra won't stay down! I'll have to resort to something drastic." Ajani muttered and turned to face his fellow Leonin. "Head back inside, I'm afraid things are about to become overwhelming." Ajani told them. The Leonin warriors all nodded, as they knew of the Planeswalker's power, and obliged without speaking another word. Ajani turned his head to face the Hydra once again. It's many heads roared at him in challenge. The Nayan native hefted his double-ended axe and closed his eyes in concentration. The Hydra's multiple heads lashed out in rage bus before their fangs could strike the Planeswalker, a shining beam of White Mana descended down from the heavens and pierced the monster, disintegrating it to ashes. Ajani opened his eyes and found fine grey ashes. His Devouring Light had worked!! "Never thought I'd resort to that before...", Ajani sighed in exasperation and turned back to return to the celebration being held in Brimaz's encampment. A few steps later and Ajani found a new problem to face: A blue wormhole that suddenly emerged from out of nowhere. The gravitational pull of the wormhole caught the Leonin Planeswalker off-guard and, as a result, he was sucked in. The wormhole vanished just as quickly as it came, leaving behind no trace of it's appearance. Inside a city "So what do we have here?" A tall, lanky thug armed with a switchblade pointed at a young man said. The young man, Shirou Emiya, simply smiled in response. "Ohh, Sabeeerrr?" He slyly replied much to the confusion of the thug. "Who the hell is that? Your boyfriend?" "No. His loyal servant." A female voice called out from behind him and the thug turned around only to catch an armoured fist to the face, knocking him cold on the cement pavement. "Ha, thanks Saber." Shirou spoke to the thug's attacker, none other than his servant, Saber. The armoured maiden crossed her arms and frowned at her master. "Must I save you from every juvenile you encounter?" Saber retorted out of irritation. Shirou put his hands up in mock surrender and Saber sighed in exasperation. "Sorry, it's just that-" "You can't even protect yourself?" Saber cut him off. "Well it's not that, but-" "I'm surprised that I'm not the one commanding you around as my servant." Saber cut him off once again and her master gave up with a defeated sigh. "You're right... I'm sorry Saber." Shirou apologized though it didn't seem to convince his Knightly servant who huffed her chest up and closed her eyes with a frown, unfazed. What a fool, at least his adoptive father is a capable gunfighter. How is this man my master? The maiden pondered, her stoic pride almost hurt by Shirou's insolence and uselessness. For a moment, Saber kept her eyes closed, her chest huffed up and her arms crossed. Shirou decided to fix that, walking over to his servant and giving her a big hug. Saber opened her eyes in surprise and found that hher very own master was the one whose arms were wrapped around her armoured body. "What do you-" "I just want you to know that I appreciate your assistance in times like these Saber." Shirou told her, much to the Knight Maiden's chagrin. Being that she ins't exactly Human, Saber didn't know what to feel at the moment and just stared at her master with a puzzled look on her usually stoic face. Shirou noticed and let go with a small laugh. The servant searched her mind for a verbal response but failed. The master laughed a bit more. And then more. And then more, falling to the ground and clutching his stomach as he laughed so hard that it hurt. Saber didn't know what to say, and just kept staring on, confused and unsure of what to do or how to respond. She wasn't able to think long as a blue wormhole suddenly appeared right behind her and began pulling the Knight in with it's gravitational force. Her first thought was to grab ahold of something and never let go. With that in mind, Saber unsheathed her mighty sword, the legendary Excalibur, and stabbed downwards onto the ground, holding it tight so the wormhole wouldn't pull her in. "What is that?!" Shirou, now no longer laughing and instead panicking, never got a verbal answer. The wormhole's answer was to suck him, much to the dismay of his servant. "Shirou!" Saber cried out, but it was too late. Her master was sucked into the wormhole. The Knight knew what to do in times like these thanks to her Knightly Code. She unearthed Excalibur and let the wormhole suck her in, with the intent of saving her master. The wormhole vanished without a trace. In a golden-brown field of wheat Ajani is seen wandering around amidst the golden wheat. The plants rustled around as a breeze blew by, rustling some of the Leonin Planeswalker's white fur as well. "What is this place?" The lion-man questioned aloud. Some wheat rustled against his legs and he looked down on it, gazing in uncertainty. "First Elspeth disappears, my fellow Leonin are attacked by a Hydra and now this? What kinds of games are those damned Theros Gods playing?" Ajani wondered and looked up to the sky, expecting some sort of light beam from Heliod, the Theros God of Light, to come down and smite him, though Ajani highly doubted that since he suspected that he might in a different Plane altogether. Not too far away from the Planeswalker A blue portal silently emerged and Saber was spilled out onto the wheat, flattening much of it under the bulk of her armoured body. She stood up and picked up the Excalibur, brushing away any wheat that stuck onto her. Saber glanced around, unsure of where she was. "Where-" The servant faltered when she saw what seemed to be a lion-esque man with a cloak, in some armour and holding a double-ended axe weapon of sorts. Despite her bulky armour, Saber managed to sneak behind a lonesome tree in the midst of the wheat field that was luckily placed near the lion-man. She peeked out from behind the tree to get a better look at the strange being. There were some gold sigils placed onto some of the lion-man's armour as well as a green sash attached to his cloak. What kind of servant is he? Saber wondered and narrowed her eyes. A strong aura could felt from the lion-man which added even more suspicion to Saber's mind. The Knight stepped out from behind the tree and silently unsheathed Excalibur. That creature might be dangerous. She pondered. Out of the corner of his left eye, something bright gleamed and Ajani cocked his head a bit to the left to see a blond-woman in a blue and steel armour dress with a sword in hand. "You're certainly strange. Say your name creature." Saber told him. Ajani turned his body to face the Knight. Who is she? This maiden appears as though she came from Bant. Ajani wondered. I better ask. "You first, Human." Ajani said back. Saber rose an eyebrow. "I am Saber. Servant to Shirou Emiya and I seek my lost master and the Holy Grail." Shirou Emiya? Holy Grail? What is this Holy Grail this Knight's talking about? "Now, who are you?" Her voice halted Ajani's train of thought in place. "I am Ajani Goldmane. And I seek answers as to where I am and where Elspeth Tirel is.", Ajani answered and Saber rose an eyebrow. Who's Elspeth Tirel? Another servant such as he? Saber, knowing that asking verbally would probably lead to a fight, decided to fight first and ask questions later. She hefted Excalibur in both hands and entered a battle-stance. Ajani sighed, knowing what's to come next, and readied himself. "Fair warning Human, I'm far different when it comes to my kind." My kind? There's others like him?! Saber shook these thoughts aside. "I'm far different from others as well. And I'm not Human.", and with these words, Saber lunged at the Planeswalker. The Melee HEAVEN OR HELL! LET'S ROCK!!! (60 seconds) Ajani's axe and Saber's Excalibur collided with a loud CLANG, producing a powerful sound-wave that knocked down the wheat all around the holy warriors. Saber broke off first and slashed again at Ajani who blocked again and pushed her away. A wheat field. This must some Plains. Good. Ajani pondered and then closed his eyes in mediation. A shining aura of light descended from the sky and enveloped the Leonin. Saber's eyes widened as she realized that her opponent must be charging up for a powerful attack! She closed the distance between them and raised Excalibur upwards for a downwards slash. Just as it strike down the lion-man, another blade clashed with it, much to Saber's dismay. She glanced up and saw a new being towering over her, the Sun shining brightly behind them. Atop an armoured lion was a Knight of the White Orchid, summoned by Ajani to aid him. The Knight of the White Orchid's lion bucked upwards and almost stomped on Saber had she not jumped out of the way. Ajani kept his eyes closed in concentration as he channeled more White Mana from the Plains all around him. (50 seconds) The Knight of the White Orchid was soon joined by two Elite Vanguards, their steel armour and longswords shining brightly in mid-day Sun. Saber hefted her holy sword and slashed forward, a crescent beam of light was created and it sliced through wheat and Ajani's summoned soldiers with ease. The Knight and Vanguards fell to the wheat, staining the plants red with their blood. The now rider-less armoured lion growled and charged at the Knight servant and was met a grisly fate when Saber dodged to the side and sliced it's head off in one fluid motion. The shining aura around Ajani faded as opened his eyes. He had channeled enough White Mana for the time being, so he equipped his double-ended axe and charged forward. Saber slashed Excalibur and sent more crescent beams of light at Ajani. The Leonin Planeswalker quickly cast Ethereal Armour on himself and a white aura formed itself into the shape of glowing plate armour and covered the majority of Ajani's body. The crescent light beams made contact with Ajani, however his Ethereal Armour held firm against the projectiles, protecting it's user as he closed the distance and clashed blades with the blond armoured servant. (40 seconds) Saber slashed in a rapid fashion, too quickly for Ajani to block all of them. His Ethereal Armour shattered as a result and he stumbled back from the assault. Saber charged Prana into the Excalibur and the sword-blade glowed hot-white, as if the Sun itself was embedded inside the blade. Ajani took note of this and quickly summoned another creature and surrounded it with a Aura spell to protect it. His remaining White Mana, he used to cast Shield of the Oversoul and a white aura shield was produced his right arm, it's shape seemed as if it was made of bird feathers. Saber and Ajani charged at each other once again and their blades clashed with a loud CLANG, knocking down even more wheat all around them. This time, the Knight Maiden felt more power coming from Ajani's blow as she struggled to push his axe away. Ajani stomped on her right foot and, despite the limb being covered in a steel boot, caused Saber to stumble a bit. Ajani cast another two Aura spells on his summoned servant who wasn't too far away from the battle and this in-turn flooded his mind with more spells to conjure from his history of as Planeswalker. Saber recovered and hacked and slashed at Ajani's aura shield, each strike gradually more powerful than the last. (30 seconds) Ajani finally parried a sword strike and counterattacked, slashing Saber a few times with his axe. A kick to the stomach later and The Knight Maiden was forced back a good distance though she held her ground. Saber aimed the tip of her sword at the lion-man. "Take this!", She yelled out as powerful beam of light surged from the Excalibur's edge and towards Ajani. The Planeswalker barely dodged to the side as the beam flew past him and grazed his right arm, disarming it of the Shield of the Oversoul which fell and flattened the nearby wheat. The Leonin stood still and covered himself in a faint cocoon of White Mana before closing his eyes in meditation in order to channel more White Mana, the same aura of light surrounding him as it did before. The cocoon didn't last very long as a couple of punches from Saber's armoured fist shattered it though Ajani didn't break concentration. The blond-haired servant relentless continued her assault and managed to stab Ajani multiple times, staining his white-fur red with his own blood. Just as Saber would deal the finishing blow, an orange-red beam descended down from the heavens and struck Saber while the Planeswalker hopped out of the way just in time to prevent being incinerated. As he landed next to another servant he summoned before, Ajani gave her a nod and cast Healing Hands to regenerate his wounds before closing his eyes to channel even more White Mana. (20 seconds) A great disturbance was felt by Ajani and while he didn't open his eyes to see it, the lion-man definitely knew that his opponent survived his Excoriate spell, AKA the orange-red beam of burning light that descended from the heavens. The beam that engulfed Saber dissipated as the servant shouted into the air, revealing a change in attire. The Knight Maiden's skin was now deathly pale, her eyes tinged red and purple, her armoured dress now black with purple and red coloured steel plates. Excalibur's handle changed to darker shades of purple and red and the blade, instead of covered with shining light, seemed to be enveloped in dark tendrils of Prana. Saber had gone into her second form: Saber Alter. Saber Alter glared dangerously at her enemy before jumping upwards and descending down with a mighty smite from Excalibur. Ajani opened his eyes just in time to hopped backwards to avoid Saber's attack. Excalibur's blade struck the earth, causing a slight tremor, faint but strong enough to cause the Leonin to stagger and almost fall to the ground. Taking the opportunity, Saber Alter rushed forward in a blur and stabbed Ajani in the stomach. The Planeswalker's eyes widened when he saw the Knight Maiden's twisted form and the sword now inside his body. "PREPARE TO DIE." Saber Alter growled. (10 seconds) Ajani's face turned to that of fierce defiance. "Make me." He growled back and heat-butted Saber Alter, forcing her back and dazing her. Before she could counterattack, Saber Alter found herself being tackled even further back and then slammed onto the ground. Ajani stabbed down but the servant knocked his double-ended axe away and kicked him in the face, making him stagger back. Saber Alter quickly recovered and aimed her sword at Ajani. "Vanish from existence!" She cried out. Not too far away from the battle A woman with greyish-white hair sat cross-legged near the lonesome tree in the countless fields of wheat. Her hair was like the colour of her skin, while also messy and unkept. She was dressed in a brown bra attached to her small brown shoulder pads by brown straps and with a brown piece of cloth acting like skirt to cover her lower torso. Her eyes were closed deep in concentration and she was encased in a light cocoon of White Aura. Blue rune-marks also decorated much of her body. When she heard her summoner in pain, the woman opened her eyes, revealing them to be completely white, void of any pupils or irises. She turned to see her summoner stumble back from a kick to the face as his attacker, a woman in dark armour and with a dark-handled sword, stood up and aimed her sword at the lion-man. "Allow me!" The woman called out to her summoner. Back to Ajani The Planeswalker glanced to his summoned servant and held his hands into the air. Right as Saber Alter's final attack commenced, a dark beam of Prana that surged from Excalibur's tip, the white-skinned woman that Ajani had summoned flickered out of existence, then reappeared, sat right in front of Ajani as Saber Alter's dark sword beam emerged and struck the woman, causing a massive cloud of dust to blow up. A light shined from above and Saber Alter gazed up to see a beacon of light crash down near her and explode violently. More beams of light erupted from the blast-zone and blinded anyone near the vicinity as well as creating holes in far away mountains and even a city as several skyscrapers were pierced by the light beams. KO!!! The Aftermath and Preview Ajani opened his eyes and found both him and his summoned servant alive and well. The woman turned around and nodded to him and Ajani nodded back. His plan had worked! The cocoon surrounding the woman's body was the Aura spell, Indestructibility! Which negated Saber's final attack. The other Aura spell the Leonin had cast on her, Flickerform, also made a difference as Ajani wouldn't standing here had it not been for the Flickerform and Indestructibility combo. He glanced up to see his opponent, now back in her normal form, lying on her back several meters away, with a scorching trail of torched wheat leading to where she lay. The Planeswalker motioned for his servant to follow him. She obliged and stood up, then both summoner and servant approached the unconscious Saber. He picked up his double-ended axe along the way and stared off to where his final attack, the tremendously powerful Day of Judgement, had crashed down. As expected, a giant sizzling crater was found amidst the golden wheat. "Dear me. I may have overdone it." Ajani muttered and his servant gazed to what he was staring at. "Indeed. I did not know that Planeswalkers have this much power." The white-haired woman told him with a raised eyebrow. Ajani nodded in agreement then came to a halt as he towered over the unconscious Saber. "Can you heal living beings?" Ajani asked his servant. She nodded and the blue runes scattered all over her body seemed to glow white. "Then please.", Ajani waved to the passed out Knight Maiden, "Heal her." The Leonin told his servant, a Kor Spiritdancer from the Plane of Zendikar. The woman nodded and crouched down, placing her hands onto Saber's armoured chest. Ajani cast Healing Hands on himself once again, cleansing the stab wound found on his stomach area. The Kor Spiritdancer's blue runes glowed brighter, prompting Ajani to shield his eyes a bit as the woman's glowing runes was almost too much for his aged eyes to handle. "If I may Planeswalker.", The Kor woman began, "Who is this woman? And why was she fighting you uh..." She faltered when she realized that she didn't know of her summoner's name and stared at him with a look of uncertainty. "I am Ajani Goldmane, if you wish to know." The Leonin told her. "Well Ajani, why was this woman fighting you? And who is she?" The Kor Spiritdancer stood herself up, her healing now finished as the last of Saber's wounds vanished and any trace of the battle she had gone through disappeared likewise. The Kor woman's runes returned to their normal, not-glowing, blue state. Ajani placed his weapon onto his back and crossed his arms. "She said her name was Saber, and that she is on the search for someone named Shirou Emiya." The Leonin answered and the Kor woman rose an eyebrow. "Do you know anyone named Shirou Emiya?" He asked but his servant shook her head in response. "Well I thank you for your assistance..." "I am Nisla, and I assume you of what I am?" The Kor Spiritdancer gave him a look as she expected the right answer. "Yes, you are a Kor, but one that seeks to commune with those beyond the physical realm." Ajani replied back and Nisla smiled. "You are correct Ajani." She nodded. Beneath the Leonin and Kor, Saber stirred awake, causing the Planeswalker and Spiritdancer to glance down. "I see you have arisen fair Knight." Ajani spoke and motioned for Nisla to assist him and helping the Knight Maiden to her feet. Saber found herself being helped up. She glanced to the left and saw her opponent. To the right was a woman of a strange appearance. "Who-Why are you helping me?" Saber asked both of them. "Because it is in my nature as a warrior of the White to help others." Ajani told her. "That indeed Ajani." Nisla agreed with a nod. Both servant and summoner let go of Saber's arms as she finally stood firmly on both feet. "Well then, could you tell me where my master is?" The blond-haired servant asked the Leonin, retrieving Excalibur and sheathing it. "Do you mean Shirou Emiya?" Nisla said to Saber and she nodded. Before the Knight Maiden could speak once more, Ajani interrupted her with a more pressing matter. "We can find him later. First we must figure out where we truly are." He spoke and began scouting the environment around them. Nighttime in the city of the 'New World' A Werewolf in purple pants and a yellow belt is seen on all fours, sniffing at a long trai of blood within a Sakura forest. "Where could this lead?" It spoke in a deep, beastly voice. The Werewold glanced up and saw a pink-haired woman dressed like a Samurai crawling away on one arm. The Werewolf stood on his feet and began making his way over to the Samurai woman. The woman looked up to see the Werewolf now towering over her. The nightstalker noticed that the woman had only one eye, the other was closed shut from a scar. "No please..." The woman covered her face with her only arm. The werewolf rose an eyebrow then held a hand out to the woman. Several slash and burn marks were found all over the woman's body. The Samurai opened her eye and saw the hand being held out to her. Reluctantly, the woman reached out to grab the Werewolf's hand. As her fingers touched the Werewolf's fur, a dark shape emerged out of the nearby bushes and tackled the Werewolf deeper into the forest. The woman stared to where the Werewolf and dark shape sailed off to. A moment later, she succumbed to unconsciousness and fell to the forest floor as pain of her wounds was simply too much for her to handle. The Result This melee's winner is... Ajani, Mentor of Heroes!! (Plays Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers Main Theme) Ajani Goldmane: Now... Where do we go...? Nisla: We should at least rest first. Some Trivia! All of the spells cast by Ajani, Mentor of Heroes during the Melee, as well as the names featured in the Interlude, are actually real Magic: The Gathering cards! Here's the list!: * Brimaz, King of Oreskos (mentioned in the Interlude) * Daxos of Meletis (mentioned in the Interlude) * Devouring Light (spell cast by Ajani to defeat the Hydra) -At the Interlude * Knight of the White Orchid (first servant summoned by Ajani) -At the 60 second mark * Elite Vanguard(s) (the next servants summoned by Ajani) -At the 50 seconds mark * Ethereal Armour (first Aura spell cast by Ajani) -At the 50 seconds mark * Shield of the Oversoul (second Aura spell cast by Ajani) -At the 50 seconds mark * Kor Spiritdancer (next and final servant summoned by Ajani, though it wasn't revealed until after the Melee) -At the 50 seconds (during the Melee), revealed in the Aftermath * Indestructibility (third Aura spell cast by Ajani, though it was given to the Kor Spiritdancer and wasn't revealed until after the Melee) -40 seconds mark (during the Melee), revealed at the Aftermath * Flickerform (final Aura spell cast by Ajani, though it was given to the Kor Spiritdancer and wasn't revealed until after the Melee) -40 seconds marks (during the Melee), revealed at the Aftermath * Healing Hands (spell cast by Ajani) -30 seconds mark * Excoriate (second spell cast by Ajani, cast again after the Melee) -30 seconds mark and once again at the Aftermath * Day of Judgement (final spell cast by Ajani) -10 seconds mark Author's note: I am BIG on Magic: The Gathering and I only recently got back into it which in turn led to me thinking of which Planeswalker, basically the big and powerful Heroes and Vilains in the series, I would use in a One Minute Melee and who they could fight. I recently read a battle between Erza Scarlet and Saber on the Death Battle Fanon Page and it was fantastic! And so the Planeswalker's opponent was chosen and it was Saber! So I decided to use one of my, if not my absolute, favourite Planeswalkers of all time: Ajani Goldmane! Since there's so many iterations of the lion-man, I chose the last title that I had seen Ajani paired with and that is Ajani, Mentor of Heroes! And with so many cards to choose from, I was gushing with joy as which I would implement into this melee! I hope you guys enjoyed this VERY long read and I hope you have a nice day :) -TheOneLegend. Category:'Human vs Creature' themed One Minute Melees Category:Human vs Non-Human Fights Category:Anime/Manga vs Card-Games themed One Minute Melees Category:Good vs Good themed One Minute Melees Category:'Hero Vs. Hero' themed ONE MINUTE MELEEs Category:Rivalry themed One Minute Melees Category:Fighters with a unique ability Category:Fighters with at least one ally Category:'East vs West' themed One Minute Melees Category:Completed What-If? One Minute Melees Category:'Battle of the Genders' themed One Minute Melees Category:One vs More than One themed One Minute Melees Category:TheOneLegend